Multi-functional vacuum cleaner

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which can be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of a canister type vacuum cleaner which is easy to move and convenient to use when cleaning narrow areas, and of an upright type vacuum cleaner when is easy to use when cleaning wide areas. The vacuum cleaner comprises a body comprising a dust collection unit and a driving unit, a handle part separably connected with the body, and a brush detachably attached to the body to suck foreign matter. The brush supports the body when being attached to the body. The handle part and/or the brush can be independently and detachably attached to the body. Thus, the vacuum cleaner can be freely moved, and used for cleaning narrow areas as well as wide areas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, andmore particularly to a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which can beused as a combined vacuum cleaner of a canister type vacuum cleaner andan upright type vacuum cleaner.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus which cleans a room in sucha way of removing foreign matter such as dust on a floor by sucking theforeign matter along with air into a body of the vacuum cleaner bygenerating suction force using a motor positioned in the body, and thencollecting the foreign matter in a dust collection unit while allowingthe air having the foreign matter removed therefrom to be discharged toan outside of the body. The vacuum cleaner is generally classified intoa canister type, an upright type, a drum type, a handy type, and thelike.

The canister type vacuum cleaner comprises a body, a dust collectionunit, a driving unit, and wheels to allow free movement of the cleaner.The canister type vacuum cleaner further comprises a plurality ofconnection pipes connected with the dust collection unit of the body, anextension pipe connected with one of the connection pipes to allowadjustment in cleaning range of the cleaner, and suction devices havingvarious shapes, one of which is connected with a distal end of theconnection pipe depending on utilities and locations. Thus, with thecanister type vacuum cleaner, foreign matter is sucked along with airinto the dust collection unit through the suction device, the extensionpipe and the connection pipe by generating suction force using a motorwithin the driving unit, and is collected into a dust bag positioned inthe dust collection unit.

The canister type vacuum cleaner has a merit in that the extension pipeserving to connect the body and the suction device enables easy movementand replacement of the cleaning apparatus so that it is convenient touse when cleaning a narrow area. However, the canister type vacuumcleaner has problems in that, it is very difficult to move the body, theextension pipe and suction device connected by the connection pipe atthe same time, cleaning efficiency is reduced in a large area, and inthat it is inconvenient to maintain the canister type vacuum cleaner dueto the long extension pipe.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional upright type vacuum cleaner, whichwill now be described briefly in view of problems of the conventionaltechnique.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional upright type vacuum cleanercomprises a body 100 having a dust collection unit and a driving unitpositioned therein, a handle 110 connected with an upper end of the body100, a brush 120 connected with a lower end of the body 100 to suckforeign matter, and a wheel 130 attached to the brush 120 to allow easymovement of the body 100.

The upright type vacuum cleaner is convenient to use for cleaning wideareas, since the body can be freely moved using the handle connectedwith the upper end of the body. However, the upright type vacuum cleaneris inconvenient to use for cleaning narrow areas or corners, and failsto remove dust therefrom due to a space occupied by the brush supportingthe body. Furthermore, the upright type vacuum cleaner has a problem inthat it is difficult to change a direction of the brush since the bodyand the brush are heavy, causing difficulty in adjustment of the handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and itis an object of the present invention to provide a multi-functionalvacuum cleaner, which can be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of acanister type vacuum cleaner and an upright type vacuum cleaner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide themulti-functional vacuum cleaner, which allows a handle part and a brushto be separated from a body, thereby enabling convenient use of thevacuum cleaner depending on utility of the vacuum cleaner.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide themulti-functional vacuum cleaner, which allows a hose connecting a firstconnection part formed on an upper portion of the body with a thirdconnection part extending from one side of a lower portion of the brushto be separated from the third connection part, and to be connected withthe handle part, a distal end of which is connected with one of varioussuction devices, thereby ensuring free movement of the vacuum cleanerwhile enabling cleaning of a narrow area.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above andother objects can be accomplished by the provision of a multi-functionalvacuum cleaner, comprising: a body comprising a dust collection unit anda driving unit; a handle part detachably attached to an upper portion ofthe body; and a brush detachably attached to the body to support thebody.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, amulti-functional vacuum cleaner comprises: a body comprising a dustcollection unit, a driving unit, a first connection part connected withone end of a hose, and a second connection part to which a handle partcan be inserted, the first and second connection parts being formed onan upper portion of the body; the handle part separably connected withthe second connection part of the body, and comprising a handle to begripped by a user and a fourth connection part connectable with theother end of the hose; and a brush comprising a third connection partconnected with the other end of the hose, the one end of which isconnected with the body, and wheels mounted to lower opposite sides ofthe brush to enable easy movement of the vacuum cleaner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and features of the present inventionwill be more clearly understood from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional multi-functional vacuumcleaner;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view illustrating a multi-functionalvacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating the multi-functionalvacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the multi-functionalvacuum cleaner of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner inaccordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals refer to the like elements throughout the drawings.It should be understood that the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawings are provided for illustrative purposes, and do not limit thescope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view illustrating a multi-functionalvacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention, and FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating themulti-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodimentof the present invention. The multi-functional vacuum cleaner accordingto the first embodiment will now be described in detail with referenceto FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the multi-functional vacuum cleaner of thefirst embodiment comprises a body 200, a handle part 300 detachablyattached to an upper portion of the body 200, and a brush 400 detachablyattached to the body 200 to support the body 200.

The body 200 comprises a dust collection unit 202 to collect dustthrough a suction port, and a driving unit (not shown) in which a motoris positioned. The body 200 is formed at the upper portion with a firstconnection part 206 to which a hose 208 is connected, and with a secondconnection part 207 to which the handle part 300 is connected. The dustcollection unit 202 has a structure separable from the body 200, and maybe provided with a gripper 204, which enables easy attachment ordetachment of the dust collection unit 202 to the body 200. The gripper204 is preferably formed in a longitudinal direction of the dustcollection unit 202. In addition, the dust collection unit 202 is formedat one end with a suction port through which foreign matter is suckedinto the dust collection unit 202, and at the other end with a cover.The cover can be opened and closed for removal of the foreign mattercollected in the dust collection unit. The body 200 is formed at theupper portion with the first connection part 206 to which the hose 208is connected, and with the second connection part 207 to which thehandle part 300 is connected.

One end of the first connection part 206 is connected with the dustcollection unit 202, and the other end thereof protrudes from the upperportion of the body 200 so as to enable connection with the hose 208.The protrusion of the first connection part 206 is configured to allowattachment or detachment of the hose 208. The second connection part 207has a hole shape having a predetermined depth to receive the handle part300 inserted thereto, and serves to secure the handle part 300 when thehandle part 300 is inserted to the second connection part 207. Thesecond connection part 207 is preferably in parallel with a rear side ofthe first connection part 206 in order to enable convenient movement ofthe vacuum cleaner and to enhance performance thereof. The body 200 haswheels attached to a rear side thereof to allow free movement of thebody 200 when the body 200 is separated from the brush 400. The wheelsmay comprise first wheels 209 attached to opposite lower sides of thebody, and more preferably further comprise second wheels attached toopposite upper sides of the body.

The body 200 comprises a connection part formed on a lower end of thebody 200 to allow the body 200 to be detachably mounted to the brush400. The body 200 can be seated on a seat 407 (see FIG. 5) of the brush400 via the connection part such that the vacuum cleaner can be used asan upright type vacuum cleaner.

The handle part 300 comprises a handle 302 to allow easy gripping by auser and easy movement of the vacuum cleaner, and a fourth connectionpart 303 which can be connected with the hose 208 when the handle part300 is separated from the body 200. In addition, the handle part 300 maycomprise an adjustment part 304 to adjust a length of the handle part300. The adjustment part 304 can adjust the length sequentially, andcomprises a structure which can maintain the length of the handle afterdetermining the length of the handle part 300. When using the vacuumcleaner as the upright type vacuum cleaner, the handle part 300 isinserted into the second connection part 207, and gripped by the user.On the other hand, when using the vacuum cleaner as a canister typevacuum cleaner, the handle part 300 is separated from the body 200, andused as an extension pipe of the canister type vacuum cleaner.

The brush 400 comprises a base 402 and a cover 404 separated upward anddownward. The base 402 and the cover 404 may be assembled to each otherby screws, and the like. The brush 400 may further comprise a flexibleprotection member, which is provided at a leading end between the base402 and the cover 404 to prevent damage of the brush 400 due tocollision against objects.

The brush 400 is formed at one side with a third connection part 406,which is connected with the other end of the hose 208, one end of whichis connected with the first connection part 206. The brush 400 comprisesthird wheels 408 provided to rear opposite sides to allow free movementof the brush 400. In addition, preferably, the brush 400 furthercomprises fourth wheels, which are provided to a lower end thereof, andhave a smaller diameter than that of the third wheels 408. The thirdconnection part 406 extends from one side of the brush 400 to thesuction port formed at a lower side of the brush 400. One end of thethird connection part is adapted to allow the hose 208 to be detachablyattached thereto, and the other thereof is connected with the suctionport of the brush 400.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaneraccording to a second embodiment of the invention, which will bedescribed hereinafter. The second embodiment comprises the samecomponents as those of the first embodiment. Thus, the components of thesecond embodiment will be denoted by the reference numerals of the firstembodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the multi-functional vacuum cleaner according tothe second embodiment, a handle part 300 is separated from a body 200,and a hose 208 connected at one end with a first connection part 206formed on an upper portion of the body 200 and at the other end with athird connection part 406 extending from one side of a brush 400 isseparated from the third connection part 406. Then, the hose 208 isconnected at the other end with a fourth connection part 303 of a handlepart 300.

With the fourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300 connectedwith the hose 208, a distal end of the handle part 300 can be connectedwith various suction devices. Although a general brush type suctiondevice is illustrated as the suction device connected with the distalend of the handle part 300 in this embodiment, the present invention isnot limited to this suction device. For example, a blade brush, adusting brush or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the handlepart 300 comprises an adjustment member, which can adjust the length ofthe handle part 300, and serves as an extension pipe.

According to the second embodiment of the invention, there arecharacteristics in that, with the brush 400, the hose 208, and thehandle part 300 coupled to the body 200 of the vacuum cleaner, thevacuum cleaner is conveniently used to clean various areas in a room,such as corners, a top surface of a table, and the like, considereddifficult to clean using the upright type vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a disassembledstructure of the multi-functional vacuum cleaner of the presentinvention, which will now be described as follows.

As shown in FIG. 5, according to the invention, the handle part 300 isseparated from the second connection part 207 formed on the upperportion of the body 200, and the body 300 is separated from the seat 407of the brush 400. In addition, the hose 208 is separated from the thirdconnection part 406 extending from the one side of the brush 400. Then,the one end of the hose 208 is connected with the first connection part206 of the body 200, and the other end thereof is connected with thefourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300. The body 300 can befreely moved with the first wheels 209 contacting the floor.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaneraccording to a third embodiment of the invention, which will bedescribed hereinafter. The third embodiment comprises the samecomponents as those of the first embodiment. Thus, the components of thethird embodiment will be denoted by the reference numerals of the firstembodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the multi-functional vacuum cleaner according tothe third embodiment, a handle part 300 is separated from an upperportion of a body 200, and a brush 400 serving to support the body 200is separated from the body 200. Here, first wheels 209 of the body 200face the floor. A hose 208 connected at one end with a first connectionpart 206 formed on the upper portion of the body 200 and at the otherend with a third connection part 406 extending from one side of thebrush 400 is separated from the third connection part 406. Then, thehose 208 is connected at the other end with a fourth connection part 303of the handle part 300.

With the fourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300 connectedwith the hose 208, a distal end of the handle part 300 can be connectedwith various suction devices. Although a general brush type suctiondevice is illustrated as the suction device connected with the distalend of the handle part 300 in this embodiment, the present invention isnot limited to this suction device. For example, a blade brush, adusting brush or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the handlepart 300 comprises an adjustment member which can adjust the length ofthe handle part 300, and serves as an extension pipe.

According to the third embodiment of the invention, there arecharacteristics in that, after being is separated from the handle part300 and the brush 400, the body 200 is coupled to the hose 208 and theextension part, and used to clean various areas in a room, such ascorners, a top surface of a table, and the like, while being freelymoved and changed in direction.

As apparent from the above description, the multi-functional vacuumcleaner of the present invention has an advantageous effect in that itcan be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of the canister type vacuumcleaner which is easy to move and convenient to use when cleaning anarrow area, and of the upright type vacuum cleaner which is easy to usewhen cleaning a wide area.

In addition, since the handle part and/or the brush can be independentlyand detachably attached to the body, the user can conveniently use thevacuum cleaner of the invention depending on the utility.

In addition, the hose connected at one end with the first connectionpart formed on the upper portion of the body can be separated from thethird connection part, and then connected at the other end with thehandle part, a distal end of which is connected with one of varioussuction devices, thereby enabling the vacuum cleaner to be convenientlyused to clean the narrow area while being freely moved.

It should be understood that the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawings have been described for illustrative purposes and the presentinvention is limited by the following claims. Further, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that various modifications, additions andsubstitutions are allowed without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe invention according to the accompanying claims.

1. A multi-functional vacuum cleaner, comprising: a body including adust collection unit and a driving unit; a handle part separablyconnected with the body; and a brush detachably attached to the body tosuck foreign matters, the brush supporting the body when being attachedto the body.
 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein thebody comprises a first connection part with which a hose is connected atone end thereof, and a second connection part to which the handle partis inserted.
 3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein thefirst connection part has one end protruding from the body so as to beconnected with the hose, and the other end connected with the dustcollection unit.
 4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein thesecond connection part has a hole shape having a predetermined depth toreceive the handle part inserted thereto.
 5. The vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 2, further comprising wheels mounted to loweropposite sides of the body to enable easy movement of the body when thebody is separated from the brush.
 6. The vacuum cleaner according toclaim 2, wherein the handle part comprises a handle to be gripped by auser, and a fourth connection part connected with the other end of thehose when the handle part is separated from the body.
 7. The vacuumcleaner according to claim 2, wherein the handle part comprises anadjustment part to adjust a length of the handle.
 8. The vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 2, wherein, when the handle part is separated fromthe body, one end of the handle part is connected with the other end ofthe hose, the one end of which is connected with the body, and the otherend of the handle part is connected with a suction device.
 9. The vacuumcleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush comprises a base and acover separated upward and downward.
 10. The vacuum cleaner according toclaim 2, wherein the brush comprises a third connection part connectedwith the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected withthe body.
 11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein thethird connection part has one end extending from one side of the brushso as to allow the hose to be connected therewith, and the other endconnected with a suction port formed at a lower side of the brush. 12.The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush compriseswheels mounted to rear opposite sides to allow free movement thereof.13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush comprisesa seat on which the body is seated when the body is coupled to thebrush.
 14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein, when thebrush is separated from the body, the brush is separated from the otherend of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body.
 15. Amulti-functional vacuum cleaner, comprising: a body including a dustcollection unit and a driving unit, the body comprising a firstconnection part with which a hose is connected at one end thereof, and asecond connection part; a handle part detachably attached to the secondconnection part and including a handle to be gripped by a user and afourth connection part connectable with the other end of the hose, theone end of which is connected with the body; and a brush comprising athird connection part connected with the other end of the hose, the oneend of which is connected with the body, and wheels mounted to rearopposite sides of the brush to allow free movement thereof.
 16. Thevacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the body further compriseswheels mounted to lower opposite sides of the body to enable easymovement of the body when the brush is separated from the body.
 17. Thevacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein, when the handle part isseparated from the body and the other end of the hose is separated fromthe third connection part of the brush, the other end of the hose isconnected with the fourth connection part.
 18. The vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 15, wherein the handle part comprises an adjustmentpart to adjust a length of the handle.
 19. The vacuum cleaner accordingto claim 15, wherein the brush comprises a seat on which the body isseated when the body is coupled to the brush.
 20. The vacuum cleaneraccording to claim 15, wherein the third connection part has one endextending from one side of the brush, and the other end connected with asuction port formed at a lower side of the brush.